An iMac-shaped invention destined for city gardens across Britain may look a little futuristic next to the water feature, but it pops out enough old-fashioned Easter eggs to feed a family of four.

Dreamed up by a team of students at the Royal College of Art, the Eglu is a chicken coop for urban dwellers who yearn for the simple life and prefer their eggs chocolate-free.

The recyclable pod - available in bright red, yellow or "keep-it-subtle green" - comes with two chickens and an all-weather shade to keep downpours off their chic abode.

"It's the healthy alternative to modern Easter eggs," said Johannes Paul, one of the four Eglu inventors and RCA graduates who set up industrial design firm Omlet.

"You get a lasting benefit rather than the quick hit you get from chocolate. The response has been fantastic and I don't think it's just because it's Easter, the idea has really caught people's imaginations."

He said each of their organically-reared chicken breeds - "feisty Miss Pepperpot", "chic Madame Bluebell" and "the inquisitive Gingernut Ranger" - will lay six eggs a week, which can be collected from a "egg-port" in the side of the coop.

The pen, which costs £325, has been tested for the past six months by several households in Oxfordshire, where the firm is based.

Helen Hewlett, one of the testers, is impressed. "My two year old just loves them, and the cat has been no problem," she said.

"We have been blowing the eggs from our chickens ready for Easter painting and I'm making a quiche with them as well.

"I've always wanted to keep chickens but because we live in the city I thought it was a dream that would never be realised."

Omlet is confident that families won't be driven to pop the chickens in the pot.

"They become just like pets, they'll jump on your shoulder when you open the door and always rush up to say hello," said Mr Paul, who claims the chickens are "easier to look after than a goldfish and more fun than a dog".

"When you catch sight of them pulling at a worm through the kitchen window, it's just lovely."

Eglu will be officially unveiled at the Urban Gardens Show at Olympia in west London on May 6.